There was no rail on one side—just a terrifying drop to the bottom of the tower. If Evangeline had been in full possession of her senses, she’d never have started climbing.
She craned her neck, but there were so many steps ahead that she couldn’t see the top, and they were too narrow for her and Apollo to walk side by side.
“Where do these stairs lead?” she asked uncertainly.
“I think it’s better if it’s a surprise,” Apollo said. He was right behind her. She could hear his footsteps. But her steps and his were the only ones. The guards must have remained at the bottom of the stairs, and Evangeline soon found herself envying them.
“Can I just have a hint of where we’re going?” she asked. “Is there a tower up here you’re planning to lock me in?”
The sound of Apollo’s footsteps halted.
She immediately knew she had said the wrong thing.
“You’re not a prisoner, Evangeline. I would never lock you up.”
“I—I know. I was only jesting.” And Evangeline wanted to believe that she was. She didn’t really think Apollo would lock her up in a tower like a cruel fairytale king. Yet her heart had started beating differently. Danger. Danger. Danger, it seemed to say—but it was too late to turn around.
They were nearly at the top. A few steps ahead, she could finally see another door, a simple rectangle without any adornment.
“It should be unlocked,” Apollo said.
Nervously, Evangeline opened the latch and was promptly greeted by a dark night and whistle of cold wind that whipped her hair across her face.
Please don’t abandon me up here, she thought.
“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Apollo said tenderly.
Evangeline didn’t know if he’d sensed her fear, or if she’d actually said the words out loud. But he immediately came behind her, blocking some wind and providing a solid wall of warmth for her back.
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw that the night wasn’t quite so black as she had thought before—there was light from the windows of the castle below illuminating a short crenellated wall that surrounded the top of the tower. Beyond the castle, the world was dark, save for sprays of stars forming unfamiliar constellations.
“Is this what you wanted me to see?” she asked.
“No,” Apollo said softly. “It should just be a couple more seconds.”
A moment later, the bells of a tower clock rang out.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
With every chime of the bell, pops of light burst to life in the distance. There were just a few at first—far-off embers of glow appearing here and there like bits of fallen stars. But soon there was more light than dark. A world of bright, as if the sky and the ground had switched places and now the Earth was covered in shimmering stars.
“What is all this?” Evangeline asked.
“It’s a gift for us. It’s called a Firenight. It’s an old Northern blessing,” Apollo said, voice softer than before as he moved closer, pressing his warm chest more firmly to her back. “Usually this happens before a king goes to war. Bonfires are lit across the land and people burn words of blessing. Wishes for health and for strength and for stealth and for safe returns home. When I found out there would be a Firenight tonight in honor of us, I thought you’d want to see. Every bonfire down there is for us. Subjects from all over the Magnificent North are burning words of blessing for our health and our marriage as we speak.”
“It’s a like a fairytale,” Evangeline murmured. But even as the words came out, they didn’t feel true.
It wasn’t like a fairytale. It was a fairytale. It was her fairytale.
Would it really change things if she remembered exactly how she’d gotten here, how she’d met Apollo, how they’d fallen in love and married? Or would she just feel differently? Perhaps even if she had all her memories, Apollo would still make her nervous.
As the wind whipped around her and fires burst to life below, Evangeline slowly turned around and looked up at the prince. Her prince.
“You’re looking in the wrong direction.” He grinned, slow and cocky.
Her heart pounded faster and faster. Danger, danger, danger, it seemed to say again. But Evangeline was no longer sure she could trust it—or maybe she just liked the danger.
“Perhaps I prefer this view.” She brought her hand to Apollo’s jaw. It was a little rough against her palm as she tilted his face.
She wasn’t sure if she was doing this right; all she felt were nerves as she rose up on the tips of her toes and pressed her mouth to his.
“Finally,” Apollo growled. Then he took her lower lip between his teeth as he kissed her back.
Fireworks burst to life in the distance. Evangeline could hear them explode as Apollo’s hands slid beneath her cloak, pushing it aside as he pulled her closer.
She wasn’t sure if they were spinning toward the edge of the tower or if it was just her head going dizzy. But she could feel the wind rushing at her back, and she knew that the prince’s arms were the only thing that kept her from falling.
Chapter 6
Evangeline
The world had altered overnight, and it wasn’t merely because Evangeline felt butterflies every time she thought of kissing Apollo.
The season appeared to have changed while she’d slept, turning from winter into spring. Instead of looking out her window to see blankets of white, she found eager green trees, happy shrubs and mosses, and glittering rocks. All of it was coated in a fine mist of silver rain that pitter-pattered outside her window.
While it rained that morning, another physician checked in to see if she had remembered anything, which she hadn’t. After that, the seamstresses returned, but they didn’t linger for long.
It seemed there was another appointment on Evangeline’s calendar, although she was unaware of it until an entirely new visitor arrived.
“Hello, Your Highness, I’m Madame Voss. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The woman dropped into a perfect curtsy, the hem of her emerald-green skirt brushing against the stone floor. Madame Voss’s hair was a beautiful shade of silver and her long face was full of deep smile lines that gave Evangeline an immediate impression of warmth.
“I’m going to be your tutor on all things royal. But first, let’s start with all things you.” Madame Voss set a beautiful blue book in Evangeline’s lap. Inside, the pages were gilded in a shimmering gold that matched the book’s decorative title.
Evangeline read it aloud. “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: The True and Unabridged History of Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts.”
Madame Voss gasped. “Oh, botheration!” Then she swatted at the volume in Evangeline’s lap until finally the title changed to read: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: The True and Unabridged History of Evangeline Fox and Prince Apollo Titus Acadian.
“My apologies for that, Your Highness. This book was freshly printed. I was hoping that since it was so new, it would be immune to the story curse.” She gave the book a chastising look. “Hopefully it’s only the title that’s finnicky.”